Celebrating its 40th anniversary, Outdoor Retailer Summer returns to the Colorado Convention Center in Denver June 9-11, 2022, with a diverse floor plan of both new brands and iconic heritage exhibitors, new events, and educational opportunities providing industry knowledge to drive growth.
Outdoor Retailer is the largest trade show for the outdoor industry nationwide. It brings retailers, manufacturers, advocates, and media together for the sake of promoting outdoor recreation. The show offers industry leaders the opportunity to conduct product demos and media events while arranging trade relationships and identifying business solutions.
More than 550 brands are exhibiting at Outdoor Retailer this summer, with more than 20 percent of those new exhibitors, paving the way for discovery and providing an opportunity to access a wide variety of brands and products all in one place.
Returning brands include adidas Terrex, Body Glove, Brunton, BUFF, CamelBak, Camp Chef, COAL, CVT, Danner, Dansko, Dometic, Eureka | Jetboil, Exped, Fjällräven, Fox River Mills, Garmin, GCI Outdoor, GSI Outdoors, Helinox, Helly Hansen, HydraPak, Hydro Flask, Industrial Revolution, Jetty, Klean Kanteen, Klymit, Liberty Mountain, LOWA, Mystery Ranch, National Geographic, ORCA, Osprey Packs, Pelican International, Pendleton, Picture, Poler, Rightline Gear, Roark, Rumpl, SCARPA, Sea to Summit, Skechers, United By Blue, Vasque, and Westfield Outdoors and more. On the list of new exhibitors this summer are Aventon Bikes, Decathlon, Glyder, GOT BAG, LYO FOOD, Kanga Coolers, Montem, The Get Out, and more.
“For 40 years, Outdoor Retailer has provided a basecamp for our community to gather, share business solutions, exchange stories, and celebrate the outdoors,” said Marisa Nicholson, Outdoor Retailer senior vice president and show director. “Now, heading into Summer, we have seen over 200% growth since last year in brand participation as companies are returning from pandemic restrictions, making this an important opportunity for our vibrant community to come together to discover new opportunities and products that will nurture our collective success and draw more people into the outdoor experience.”
Highlights over the three days will include: The 12th annual Outdoor Retailer Inspiration Awards on Night 1, Thursday, June 9 at 6 p.m., to unveil this year’s recipients and celebrate those who inspire and encourage others to participate in outdoor recreation; An extensive lineup of education sessions and panel discussions, including the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) Industry Breakfast on the first morning, June 9, on the future of retail from keynote speaker Doug Stephens, founder of Retail Prophet; Plus, evening events – Outdoor Retailer’s 40th Anniversary Party on June 9 and the 5Point Film Festival on Friday, June 10.
“As we mark this milestone in Denver, we’re also adapting to today’s business climate and evolving to meet the needs of diverse stakeholders,” continued Nicholson. “We are actively working to incorporate new components into the Outdoor Retailer experience as we make plans for the next three years in Salt Lake, and we look forward to sharing some of those plans during this summer’s show.”
Education Highlights
Pre-Show Webinar – NPD Trends: With outdoor industry trends attracting a steady cadence of news coverage, a key pre-show session takes place on Thursday, May 19 led by Dirk Sorenson, sports industry analyst at The NPD Group. Sorenson will discuss changes in outdoor consumer behavior and the retail landscape during the last 36 months. Register here.
OIA Industry Breakfast: Outdoor Retailer Summer education opens with the Industry Breakfast on June 9 featuring keynote speaker Doug Stephens, founder of the Retail Prophet, who will discuss “The Future of Retail in the New Era of Risk.”
WGSN Trend Forecast: At The Camp on June 9, WGSN presents insight into new key consumer profiles and what must be done to win minds and market share with a conversation on the “Future Consumer 2024.”
REI Co-op’s Path Ahead Ventures: At The Ranger Station in Venture Out, REI’s new Path Ahead Ventures presents a panel session on “Founders of Color and the Path Ahead: How the Industry Can Support Their Success” on June 9.
NPD Trend Breakfast: NPD returns in-person to dispense the latest intelligence on Friday morning, June 10 at its NPD Trend Breakfast: Retail and Consumer Trends in the Outdoor Marketplace. This fast-paced, informative session is a “must-attend” event for those interested in understanding retail trends and sales in outdoor.
Show Areas and Resources
Fresh: Making its return to the show floor, Fresh introduces buyers and media to new brands and first-time exhibitors. For retailers looking to diversify store offerings and attract customers, Fresh provides inspiration to help businesses grow. Join the “Taste of Fresh” on June 8 and 9 to sample some of the new consumables.
The Resource Center: Ask an Expert: The Resource Center is a central hub providing retailers, media, brands, designers, and other attendees an opportunity to gather market research and trend insight, and learn about new business technologies, directly from experts. Learn more and schedule appointments here.
Match: For qualified attendees and brands looking to make new connections, Outdoor Retailer Match provides free access to matchmakers to help book appointments during the show and discover new contacts. This unique program directly links brands and buyers before, during, and after Outdoor Retailer and provides recommended connections. Find details here or reach out to outdoorretailer@eventnetworking.com to get started.
The Camp: At Outdoor Retailer’s primary education area on the show floor, experts discuss a range of topics including: leadership and growing businesses; diversity, equity and inclusion; digital strategy; building local community and engagement; Amazon and outdoor specialty retail; among other topics.
Trend + Design Center: With a focus on fashion trends and materials, the Trend + Design Center provides designers and brands the latest information from trend forecasters and experts.
The Ranger Station at Venture Out: The Ranger Station is the community hub at Venture Out, including forward-thinking workshops and education focused on the trends and consumers in the modern outdoor movement.
The Overland Experience: Overlanding is one of the growing segments in the outdoor space and, once again, the show has collected brands with a focus on hitting dirt and backroads in this dedicated zone.
